What's Pushing Big Brands to Start Food Truck Franchising?

With foreign brands not only rushing to Indian market but are also ready to fuse the Indian taste in it. Domestic brands are also mushrooming and are feeding on the opportunities and business that is fueling the food market.

Let's find out, what is pushing more brands to open food trucks and venture the new style of serving:

Space Constraint

Shaun Kenworthy, a Celebrity Chef, Restaurateur, Consultant, Food & travel writer, who has now joined the position of Culinary Director World Iconic Brands (WIB, international F&B vertical of Franchise India) says, "India's growing population is one of the reasons why foreign food brands are aiming to enter the market."

Riyaaz Amlani, President NRAI and MD and CEO, Impresario Entertainment, "Delhi needs to have places with open spaces restaurants, more Food Trucks on the roads and tourist hubs which should attract tourists along with food and entertainment."

Easy Franchising

Big restaurants or brands cannot open their franchisees in every corner and lane of Tier II and III or Tier I cities, which is why opening a food truck that can carry their flavours to every lane of the country becomes easy.

Moreover, this helps them in spreading the brand more easily and conveniently just like The Lalit has started it's the Lalit Truck in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru to cater its flavours to its audience easily.

Saurabh Khanijo, Managing Director of restaurant chain Kylin, feels that the concept is very "efficient and has scalability".

Khanijo says, "It allows brands to showcase their product in the best way possible. As food trucks don't have geographical limitations, one can send them anywhere. Brands can easily see the difference between setting up a restaurant and a food truck. The concept is quirky and way cooler than a restaurant today. It is also a great way to introduce oneself to fresh new consumers."

Social Media Influence

Hailing from Chicago, Avelo Roy, Managing Director, Kolkata Ventures, shares that in Chicago all the restaurants have their own food trucks, and they don't have hi-fi technologies like GPS and stuff.

Roy says, "All they do is go on Twitter and insert the details regarding the time, venue, and products of the day; the people following them or interested reaches the destination, waiting outside the food truck. There are people who don't like visiting restaurants, so restaurants come to them."

Tracing back its origin, Roy shares that it initially started with the Mexicans who sold their products in trucks for they did not have the money to establish a restaurant. The restaurateurs saw the rising income opportunities.

"So now every major restaurant in LA, Chicago, New Orleans, Miami… every state in the USA have a huge business revolving around food trucks," says Roy, "And, it's all run by social media, they look gorgeous, the food trucks, the products talk themselves."

Roy also adds, "Even entrepreneurs who are absolutely brand new have a great opportunity to buy a second-hand food truck and just go all out on social media. And, soon they will have a lot of positive responses."

This article was originally published on Franchise India by Nibedita Mohanta.